Jack Grealish loves his football more than anyone else in the Manchester City squad and he couldn’t take the pain
Jack Grealish appeared visibly disappointed after suffering another injury setback against Luton Town.
Grealish has been hampered by injuries this season and was upset to be substituted early against Copenhagen a few weeks ago.
He returned to the starting lineup for the FA Cup match against Luton, when Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick with three assists from Kevin De Bruyne.
However, before halftime, the former Aston Villa captain was pulled off with an injury and replaced by Jeremy Doku.
Grealish was heartbroken and had to be consoled by staff and teammates on the bench.
He then held his coat above his head, attempting to conceal his emotions.
Haaland tore Luton apart with a spectacular hat-trick to put City ahead 3-0, but the Hatters clawed one back thanks to a remarkable strike from last season’s play-off final hero Jordan Clark.
Grealish had recently suffered from a groyne problem, and it is unclear whether this is a return of the same issue.
Pep Guardiola praised the £100 million man in his pre-Luton press conference, but also challenged him to demonstrate why he deserves to play.
Guardiola remarked, “I told from the beginning that we needed him. He possesses a unique quality for our squad. But it all relies on him. Hopefully he can have a successful last three months.
“I can’t give guys three or four games to find their groove. They need to find a rhythm to play for 20 or 90 minutes.
“At the highest level, the squad does not wait to be fit. You cannot expect someone to be fit after only three or four games. What about the ten who don’t play? Do they deserve not to play?
“You have to see the training sessions and all of the minor details.” The players don’t need to persuade me. They need to persuade themselves that they deserve to play.”
